New York
Bank of America settles claims over lawsuits by Epstein victims
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America has tentatively settled a lawsuit claiming it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Jeffrey Epstein while he was sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women.
The proposed settlement was revealed in filings in Manhattan federal court on Monday, the same day that billionaire financier Leon Black was originally scheduled to be deposed in the case. Terms were not disclosed. The bank declined to comment through a spokesperson.
Though not a defendant, Black was recently described as a “critical witness” in the case by Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Epstein victims.
During a hearing last week, a lawyer for Black persuaded Judge Jed S. Rakoff to postpone Black’s deposition for 10 days on the grounds that the parties were close to settling. The lawyer, Michael Carlinsky, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
In a statement, McCawley paid tribute to the “brave and fearless voices” of Epstein victims, saying their “road to justice” has been long and trying, but the Bank of America settlement “is one more step on the road to much deserved justice.”
The October lawsuit accused the bank of ignoring $170 million Black paid from a Bank of America account to Epstein purportedly for “tax and estate planning advice.”
It said the bank ignored “numerous red flags” of improper financial dealings, and “went far beyond what a non-complicit bank would have done and instead assisted Epstein in setting up the necessary financial structure to operate his sex-trafficking venture.”
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of a woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe and “all others similarly situated,” said the woman was living in Russia when she met Epstein in 2011 and was “coerced into a cult-like life.”
It said she was paid by Epstein through a Bank of America account as she was controlled “financially, emotionally, and psychologically” by Epstein from 2011 through 2019 as he sexually abused her on at least 100 occasions, including raping her and forcing her to engage sexually with other women for his sexual gratification.
The lawsuit alleged that Epstein paid her rent and income from a phony job through a Bank of America account, and held her immigration status “over her head, until her ultimate escape when Jeffrey Epstein died.”
Epstein died in a federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. He was known for his connections with wealthy and powerful men, and the lawsuit said he used it to his advantage in his attacks on women.
The recent Justice Department release of millions of pages of documents from law enforcement probes of Epstein show he had regular contact with CEOs, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after his 2008 conviction in state court in Florida on sex crimes charges.
A review of the documents by The Associated Press and other news organizations showed Black’s name appeared 8,200 times, though that figure likely includes some duplicate records.
In March 2021, Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo Global Management, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health, and “many other interests.”
A committee of the company’s board had issued a report two months earlier concluding that Epstein had advised Black personally on estate planning, tax issues, charitable giving and running his “family office,” but provided no services to Apollo or invested in no Apollo funds.
The report also said the review — which Black requested — found “no evidence” that he was involved with Epstein’s alleged criminal activities “in any way” or “at any time.”
In a statement Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said the bank’s decision to settle was a “step towards justice and a vindication of my staff’s investigation into how major Wall Street banks enabled Epstein’s crimes.”
He said the bank “willfully looked the other way” as Black paid Epstein the $170 million through “huge wire transfers,” often in $10 million or $20 million installments.
Tennessee
Family’s lawsuit against police, paramedics over use of force dismissed
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A lawsuit alleging Bristol, Tennessee, police officers and paramedics used excessive force on a 23-year-old man having a seizure and failed to give him access to medical care has been dismissed.
A federal judge ruled Monday in favor of the city of Bristol and the officers and paramedics, who argued the statute of limitations had expired by the time the family of Austin Hunter Turner filed the lawsuit over his 2017 death.
His death was one of more than 1,000 nationally that an investigation led by The Associated Press identified as happening after police officers used physical force or weapons that were supposed to stop, but not kill, people.
Turner’s mother, Karen Goodwin, filed the lawsuit in 2024 after AP reporters shared police body-camera video they had found. His mother had not seen the video, which made the family doubt the autopsy report conclusion that he died of a multiple drug toxicity. An attorney for the family said they intend to appeal the decision.
The lawsuit focused on how the video contradicted the police version of what happened inside Turner’s apartment after his girlfriend called 911 for medical help.
Attorneys representing the city of Bristol, which shares a state line with Virginia, the paramedics and some of the officers involved declined to comment when reached by the AP on Tuesday.
The officers had said they shocked him with a Taser and physically restrained him face down because he was fighting paramedics. The lawsuit says the video shows Turner was not punching or kicking and he was not disobeying the paramedics because he was in the middle of a seizure.
The lawsuit says the video shows police and paramedics put “significant pressure on the back of Mr. Turner’s head and upper back while Turner was face-down, in the prone position, with a spit sock covering his airway, hands cuffed behind his back and legs shackled.”
David Randolph Smith, an attorney for Turner’s mother, said in a statement to the AP they respectfully disagree with the judge’s interpretation of when the statute of limitations began.
Attorneys for the city, police and paramedics argued that because Goodwin was present in the apartment and was aware that the officers were using force on her son, she only had one year from that day to file the lawsuit.
Bank of America settles claims over lawsuits by Epstein victims
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America has tentatively settled a lawsuit claiming it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Jeffrey Epstein while he was sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women.
The proposed settlement was revealed in filings in Manhattan federal court on Monday, the same day that billionaire financier Leon Black was originally scheduled to be deposed in the case. Terms were not disclosed. The bank declined to comment through a spokesperson.
Though not a defendant, Black was recently described as a “critical witness” in the case by Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Epstein victims.
During a hearing last week, a lawyer for Black persuaded Judge Jed S. Rakoff to postpone Black’s deposition for 10 days on the grounds that the parties were close to settling. The lawyer, Michael Carlinsky, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
In a statement, McCawley paid tribute to the “brave and fearless voices” of Epstein victims, saying their “road to justice” has been long and trying, but the Bank of America settlement “is one more step on the road to much deserved justice.”
The October lawsuit accused the bank of ignoring $170 million Black paid from a Bank of America account to Epstein purportedly for “tax and estate planning advice.”
It said the bank ignored “numerous red flags” of improper financial dealings, and “went far beyond what a non-complicit bank would have done and instead assisted Epstein in setting up the necessary financial structure to operate his sex-trafficking venture.”
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of a woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe and “all others similarly situated,” said the woman was living in Russia when she met Epstein in 2011 and was “coerced into a cult-like life.”
It said she was paid by Epstein through a Bank of America account as she was controlled “financially, emotionally, and psychologically” by Epstein from 2011 through 2019 as he sexually abused her on at least 100 occasions, including raping her and forcing her to engage sexually with other women for his sexual gratification.
The lawsuit alleged that Epstein paid her rent and income from a phony job through a Bank of America account, and held her immigration status “over her head, until her ultimate escape when Jeffrey Epstein died.”
Epstein died in a federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. He was known for his connections with wealthy and powerful men, and the lawsuit said he used it to his advantage in his attacks on women.
The recent Justice Department release of millions of pages of documents from law enforcement probes of Epstein show he had regular contact with CEOs, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after his 2008 conviction in state court in Florida on sex crimes charges.
A review of the documents by The Associated Press and other news organizations showed Black’s name appeared 8,200 times, though that figure likely includes some duplicate records.
In March 2021, Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo Global Management, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health, and “many other interests.”
A committee of the company’s board had issued a report two months earlier concluding that Epstein had advised Black personally on estate planning, tax issues, charitable giving and running his “family office,” but provided no services to Apollo or invested in no Apollo funds.
The report also said the review — which Black requested — found “no evidence” that he was involved with Epstein’s alleged criminal activities “in any way” or “at any time.”
In a statement Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said the bank’s decision to settle was a “step towards justice and a vindication of my staff’s investigation into how major Wall Street banks enabled Epstein’s crimes.”
He said the bank “willfully looked the other way” as Black paid Epstein the $170 million through “huge wire transfers,” often in $10 million or $20 million installments.
Tennessee
Family’s lawsuit against police, paramedics over use of force dismissed
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A lawsuit alleging Bristol, Tennessee, police officers and paramedics used excessive force on a 23-year-old man having a seizure and failed to give him access to medical care has been dismissed.
A federal judge ruled Monday in favor of the city of Bristol and the officers and paramedics, who argued the statute of limitations had expired by the time the family of Austin Hunter Turner filed the lawsuit over his 2017 death.
His death was one of more than 1,000 nationally that an investigation led by The Associated Press identified as happening after police officers used physical force or weapons that were supposed to stop, but not kill, people.
Turner’s mother, Karen Goodwin, filed the lawsuit in 2024 after AP reporters shared police body-camera video they had found. His mother had not seen the video, which made the family doubt the autopsy report conclusion that he died of a multiple drug toxicity. An attorney for the family said they intend to appeal the decision.
The lawsuit focused on how the video contradicted the police version of what happened inside Turner’s apartment after his girlfriend called 911 for medical help.
Attorneys representing the city of Bristol, which shares a state line with Virginia, the paramedics and some of the officers involved declined to comment when reached by the AP on Tuesday.
The officers had said they shocked him with a Taser and physically restrained him face down because he was fighting paramedics. The lawsuit says the video shows Turner was not punching or kicking and he was not disobeying the paramedics because he was in the middle of a seizure.
The lawsuit says the video shows police and paramedics put “significant pressure on the back of Mr. Turner’s head and upper back while Turner was face-down, in the prone position, with a spit sock covering his airway, hands cuffed behind his back and legs shackled.”
David Randolph Smith, an attorney for Turner’s mother, said in a statement to the AP they respectfully disagree with the judge’s interpretation of when the statute of limitations began.
Attorneys for the city, police and paramedics argued that because Goodwin was present in the apartment and was aware that the officers were using force on her son, she only had one year from that day to file the lawsuit.
